Chicken Enchiladas

Yes, there is an enchilada under there, and it is free of gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, and garlic! It is hidden partly because we LOVE our toppings (on a good day it would have had guacamole and fake sour cream too) and partly because when I took it out of the pan it kind of fell apart. I am going to write the "standard" recipe below, but just for the record Emily's enchilada was made with plain tomato sauce, no chili peppers, and no garlic powder...she's not really into spicy food and she's allergic to garlic. Also, for my friends who are allergic to chicken, this is really yummy with beef or pork too. Just use a nice fatty/tender piece of meat like a chuck roast or the darker meat pork chops.

1 1/2 lbs Boneless chicken (or other tender meat)

4 c Water

2 t Bullion (that's one cube of Harvest Sun brand)

1/2 t Chili powder

1/4 t Garlic powder (better yet a fresh crushed clove of garlic)

1/2 t Onion powder (again, about 1/2 of a finely chopped fresh onion would be great)

1/4 t Black pepper

1/4 t Sea salt

1 4 oz can of diced green chilies

1 Can of enchilada sauce

4-6 Corn tortillas (depending on how full you like them stuffed)

1/2 c Grated Vegan Rella Cheddar flavored rice cheese (or other "safe cheese")

TOPPINGS: lettuce, tomatoes, red or green onions, black olives, avocado/guacamole, salsa, and Tofutti Sour Supreme are all good!

Before I start the recipe I would like to remind you to please read the labels on all of your ingredients. The bullion, chili powder, canned chilies, enchilada sauce, tortillas, and cheese substitute (and any others I may have missed) can all potentially contain the top 8 allergens.

Place the chicken in a large saucepan and cover it with the water. Bring to a simmer over med-low heat. If you boil it too hard your meat will be tough. Stir in the bullion, chili powder, onion (powder), garlic (powder), salt, and black pepper. Cover and simmer on low heat until meat is tender enough to shred with 2 forks making a scissor motion. Start checking for tenderness at 30 minutes, depending on your cut of meat it could take up to an hour or even an hour and a half. Most of the water should have evaporated too. For a longer cooking time you may need to add a little more water, or if it seems too wet just take the lid off while simmering for a few minutes. Add the canned chilies and continue to pull and shred the meat until it is in small pieces (about 1") and the chilies are mixed in.

Preheat oven to 350. Set up your assembly line... pour half of the enchilada sauce into a shallow dish, microwave your tortillas for about 30 seconds to make them pliable, grab the meat, and have ready a casserole dish to put them in. Dip a tortilla into the enchilada sauce and then lay it in the casserole dish. Put a large scoop of meat (maybe 1/4 cup?) down the center and roll it up. Continue with each tortilla, laying them side by side, until the filling is gone. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the top of them all. Bake covered for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and sprinkle the grated cheese substitute (this can also be omitted entirely if you don't care for fake cheese) over the top. Place back in the oven and continue to bake, uncovered ,for another 15 minutes.

While the enchiladas are baking get all of you toppings and condiments chopped and ready. Remove from the oven and load on the toppings! Or, if your family is finicky like mine, let them choose their own toppings and add them individually.